MIXED METHODS IN DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCH

Developmental research is widely used in instructional development whichtends to use different data collection methods. The research questions ofan instructional development study can be looked at from different angles andusing different methods to approach its research questions. This paper presents an analysis ofa developmental research study by Ma (2012), which comprised eleven research questions. Ma sstudy developed from Phase One: identifying the target group scurrent vocabulary learning strategies and vocabulary level, to Phase Two: identifying the characteristics of a vocabulary learning system, to Phase Three: designing a vocabulary learning modulefor Chinese EFL learners. Ma useda mixture ofqualitative and quantitative methodvto give the depth and breadth to the development of her instructional module. Ma s study is distinctively a developmental research employing a mixed methods approach